Hive, a Norway-founded physical AI startup, has raised $15 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by UK-based SuperSeed, with participation from US-based Veriten and Norwegian VCs Skyfall and Nysnø, the company announced today. Founded in 2020 and now headquartered in London, Hive is developing a proprietary foundational model and software layer to automate industrial machines across sectors.
The startup’s technology involves adding sensors and software to existing machinery, such as diggers used in tunneling and quarry operations, enabling them to operate autonomously for simple tasks. More complex operations are managed by remote teleoperators who can control multiple machines from home. Hive offers this as autonomy-as-a-service, effectively delivering work hours instead of just hardware or software, according to cofounder and CEO Christoffer Jørgensvaaghim.
Hive’s silicon brain aims to cut the hourly cost of running industrial machines by 80%, a significant efficiency gain in sectors like construction, warehousing, and production lines. The company’s approach to combining AI with physical machinery automation places it among emerging startups focused on industrial AI applications. The funding round reflects growing investor interest in automating manual labor through AI-driven robotics and remote operation technologies.
Hive plans to expand its silicon brain technology into the UK and US markets, leveraging the new funding to scale operations and refine its autonomy-as-a-service offering. The company’s next milestone includes deploying its system across multiple industrial sites to demonstrate cost savings and operational improvements, as detailed in the funding announcement on July 7, 2026.